Stats overall: 2 Medals. 7 Finals. 18 Irish Senior Records.
December 21, 2021
Mona McSharry signed off Ireland’s FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships on Tuesday with the team’s 18th Irish Senior Record of the meet in the 200m Breaststroke Final, on a night when Ireland had an outstanding number of three Finalists.
Taking place at the Etihad Arena, the Championships are world swimming’s finale of 2021 and the culmination of the short course (25m pool) season.
Before this week Mona McSharry’s lifetime best in this event in short course format was 2:25.08, with teammate Niamh Coyne holding the Irish Senior Record at 2:22.70.
McSharry broke that on Tuesday morning, posting 2:21.59, and again in the Final setting a new standard at 2:20.19.
Across her four events at these Championships she reached three Finals and set eight new Irish Senior Records.
McSharry said: “It was so much fun to just finish the meet with yet another final and to be able to say I swam in every finals session this week. It has been tough, but it’s been great and it’s such a good character builder. I’m glad I had the opportunity to do it.”
Looking ahead to 2022, she added: “I’m just going to take next year as it comes. It’s the year after the Olympics. I’ve done a lot of competing in college and now this, but I am trying to make it a more relaxed year. Just give myself a break, because the Olympics was quite a big pinnacle, and I did so well. I’m just going to get out there and try and race and see how I do over the next year.
In his first ever international 1500m Final, Daniel Wiffen produced a time of 14:36.78, just four seconds over his Irish Senior Record set on Monday, to finish eighth. The winner, Florian Wellbrock, set a new World Record of 14:06.88.
Wiffen said: “It’s my first Final ever to swim a double 1500 and to go PB +4 from just what I went yesterday. I’m pretty happy with that. I thought it was going to be a lot worse and I did go out a bit harder, because I tried to push on from yesterday, but it just didn’t work today.”
“I’m going to altitude again in January, which I went to in November and I think helped a lot in my training. Then I’ve also got the World Long Course Championships, which I’m pre-qualified for and then Commonwealth Games as well in July, so it’s quite exciting times. I’m looking forward to it.”
Swim Ireland’s newest National Centre, Ulster, enjoyed its first international finalist when Jack McMillan lined up for the 100m Freestyle Final. In the Semi-Final he posted a huge lifetime best when going faster than 47 seconds for the first time, and he went under that mark again in the Final, finishing 7th in 46.97.
McMillan said: “It was crazy and exciting. I just learnt a lot from racing the best sprinters in the world I think I was just obviously tired at the end of the meet, but it was great to swim another 46 – that’s only my second time doing it.
“This is my first World Short Course, and just to make a Final on the last day of the meet was great. I got out there and had fun. Time for a break now!”
Next year, like Wiffen, McMillan will aim for the FINA World Swimming Championships (50m) and the Commonwealth Games, where he and Wiffen will feature for Northern Ireland.
Summing up a remarkable and historic week for Irish swimming, National Performance Director Jon Rudd said: “There's so much positivity that we can take from this meet that it's actually difficult to know where to start.
“Ellen and Mona both winning medals is certainly wonderful for us and I'm so pleased for them as this has only ever happened once before for Ireland - and a total of eighteen Irish records across the meet is quite remarkable. It was a special moment for us to see an Irish relay in a World Championships Final - one of seven Finals for us across the six days.
“The staff here have been remarkable and the home programme coaches have done a great job in preparing their athletes for this meet - a Championships which has not been without its challenges either. 2022 is an exciting year for us as we build towards Paris 2024, with a World Championships, a Commonwealth Games and a European Championships all taking place in the 50m pool.
“This is a short course meet, and we have to keep our feet on the ground in that sense. But we came and took on the rest of the world and if the world of swimming hadn't noticed Ireland before today, they very much know about what we can do now.”
All results are available at fina.org.
Records
Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Heats: 7:02.35 – Final: 6:59.54
Jack McMillan, Robbie Powell, Finn McGeever, Jordan Sloan
Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay – Heats: 3:12.94
Calum Bain, Brendan Hyland, Jack McMillan, Jordan Sloan
Daniel Wiffen’s Irish Senior Record Swims in Abu Dhabi
1500m Freestyle Heats 1500m – 14:32.13
1500m Freestyle Heats 800m – 7:41.82
Mona McSharry’s Irish Senior Record Swims in Abu Dhabi
50m Breaststroke Semi-Final – 29.65
50m Breaststroke Final – 29.59
100m Individual Medley Heats – 59.65
100m Individual Medley Semi-Final – 59.35
100m Breaststroke Semi-Final – 1:04.22
100m Breaststroke Final – 1:03.92
200m Breaststroke Heats – 2:21.59
200m Breaststroke Final – 2:20.19
Ellen Walshe’s Irish Senior Record Swims in Abu Dhabi
400m Individual Medley Heats – 4:30.78
400m Individual Medley Final – 4:26.52
200m Individual Medley Heats – 2:08.69
100m Butterfly Heats – 57.32
100m Butterfly Semi-Final – 56.68
TOTAL: 18
Results
Tuesday Afternoon Results:
1500m Freestyle FINAL
Daniel Wiffen – 14:36.78 – 8th
100m Freestyle FINAL
Jack McMillan – 46.97 – 7th
200m Breaststroke FINAL
Mona McSharry – 2:20.19 – 7th
Tuesday Morning Results:
200m Breaststroke Heats – Top 8 go to Final
Niamh Coyne – 2:23.03 – 14th
Mona McSharry – 2:21.59 – 7th
Swim Ireland Team
2021 FINA World Championships (25m)
Abu Dhabi, UAE | December 16-21
Calum Bain - University of Stirling, Scotland - Coach: Bradley Hay
Niamh Coyne - National Centre (Dublin) - Coach: Ben Higson
Danielle Hill - Larne Swimming Club - Coach: Peter Hill
Brendan Hyland - National Centre (Dublin) - Coach: Ben Higson
Finn McGeever - National Centre (Limerick) - Coach: John Szaranek
Jack McMillan - National Centre (Ulster) - Coach: Davy Johnston
Mona McSharry - University of Tennessee, USA - Coach: Matt Kredich
Robert Powell - National Centre (Dublin) - Coach: Ben Higson
Jordan Sloan - National Centre (Ulster) - Coach: Davy Johnston
Ellen Walshe - University of Tennessee, USA - Coach: Matt Kredich
Daniel Wiffen - Loughborough University, England - Coach: Andi Manley
